Back to College Essentials

Can y'all believe that it is already August?! August means that it's time to go back to school! I know that I have a lot of followers who are just starting college or are maybe still in college like me! Either way, I wanted to put together a small series that can help you guys out! This post is the first part of the series and in it, I will be discussing the things you must have to survive college! Most of these things are school supplies because they are truly essential to success in school! So let's hop right in! Stay tuned to the end of the post to see what's coming next in the series!

The cute tee's that you see me wearing in these photos are all by Victoria's Monograms! She makes a ton of cute tee's and so much more! Check out her Instagram HERE and her website HERE. 

 A Good Planner 

College is a lot, and you will be taking more classes than you probably have before and that means that it's a lot to keep up with, so that means you need a good planner. Also, pretty much all of the planners I am showing y'all start in July, which make them perfect for school!

If you have never used a planner before I recommend trying one out for college and really trying to live by it. I put every single thing that I have to do in it and then I cross it off as I complete it. It really keeps me on top of everything that I need to do and also keeps me from forgetting things that I have to do! After spending four years in college already I have gone through quite a few planners and am here to share the best ones and why they are the best!

1. First, the Lily Pulitzer Agenda. To shop any one of the ones shown, just click the image!

These are the ones that I lived by through college and all of high school, I just recently stopped using this for something I found that I liked even better after! These come in a couple of different sizes so you can find exactly what works the best for you! I linked a couple of different sizes for you guys so view the details and see the exact sizes of each of these before you buy! Some people love the tiny planners and some people are like me and love the huge planners because you keep every single thing in your planner like me. I linked a couple options for each size for you guys to be able to shop so that you can find what you like the best!

What I like the most about these planners is first off the patterns, opening one of these makes seeing everything you have to do that day a little bit brighter. I also love how big the overall calendar for each month is, it is one of the few planners that I have tried that actually gives you enough room to write on the month views! I also love that this one has lines for each day in the weekly view, this is something that I really look for when I look for a planner. The lines help me keep everything organized because I am horrible at writing in a straight line.

I really don't have anything bad to say about these planners. I think that they are great planners if you're not too familiar with planners yet and you aren't really sure what you like. That may sound a little crazy to someone who doesn't use a planner right now but I promise once you are like a month in you'll understand exactly what I am talking about!

2. The Happy Planner. To shop any of the ones shown simply click the picture! 

This is the planner that I left the Lily Pulitzer planner for and I don't know if I will ever turn back because I love this planner so much. What I love about these planners the most is the different layout of each one of these. Some of them have lines in the weekly view just like the Lily ones do and some of them have vertical boxes down the page for each day that you can fill with stickers and things.

These planners also come in a couple of different forms, there are fitness agendas, teacher agendas, goal agendas, meal planning agendas, and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. So you don't have to be going back to school for these planners to be beneficial for you.

My best advice to save some money when buying one of these planners is to wait until they go on sale for 40-50% off because they always do! They are sold at both Michaels Craft Store and Hobby Lobby. I find Michael's has a lot more options than Hobby Lobby does, but that could just be my Hobby Lobby store! If it is not on sale when you go I recommend going on their websites and pulling up the coupon that is on the main page for 40% and saves some money! You won't be able to use the coupon if the planner is on sale. For example this weekend I went to look at Michael's and the planners were 30% off, I knew the sale would only last a week and that next week I could use the 40% off coupon and save more money so keep that in mind! You can also grab these on Amazon if you don't want to leave the house, which I totally get.

If you do order this type online I recommend flipping through the photos of each of them so you can see what would work the best for you!

Backpacks

I don't know what I love more, planners or backpacks! I have tried a few different types of bags over my years of school so I am going to share two completely different styles with you guys so you can decide what works best for you! 

1. The North Face Backpacks. To shop any of the ones shown simply click on the image! 

If you are in college you know that North Face backpacks are ALLLL over campus, literally everyone has one. There is a reason though, there are so many pockets inside and it really helps you to keep everything that you need organized. There is even a special pocket in all of their backpacks that hold your laptop and keep it secured and padded. 

What I love the most about these backpacks besides the number of things that they can fit inside is the comfort of them no matter how much you put in them. I can throw in like 4 heavy textbooks but my backpack won't feel like it when it's on my back because the whole thing is padded for comfort! It's a really great bag if you have a big campus or if you are forced to park far away from your classes. 

I also love the durability of this bag, I have had some of my North Face bags since high school and I still use them for miscellaneous things throughout the year! The only reason I ever purchase a new bag is that I want a new look. I have thrown mine in the washing machine before and it comes out looking brand new! 

It's a great bag for the price and it really does hold up, I recommend purchasing yours on Amazon because the price is a little cheaper and most of them are on Prime! 

2. Vera Bradley Totes. To shop any of the ones shown simply click on the image! 

All my education, nursing, and anything child-related majors listen up because this one is for you! You have seen these bags before and I commonly refer to them as "teacher bags" because they are the bags you used to see your teachers with, but they had good reason to have them!

These bags are amazing for anyone who has to carry a lot to class with them but still wants to look cute. These are also great for the girls who love to stay organized because there are so many pockets inside this bag, you can literally have a pocket for anything you need!

I also love this bag because its one that you think would be uncomfortable but it's actually super comfy to carry around, even when you have a ton of things in it! It is a great size for the gal that has to carry a lot with her! If you don't want to buy it the full price I recommend looking at their sale page because you can find patterns that have been retired for a lot cheaper. They also have great sales for Black Friday, so they also make great gifts.

I will say though that you definitely get what you pay for with these bags, the quality and durability is amazing. These can also be thrown into the wash if they need to be as well which I personally love!

School Supplies 

Before ending this post I wanted to share some of my favorite school supplies that I could not live without. Instead of rambling on a ton about each of the things that I am sharing I decided to throw it all into a big collage type of thing and add a small caption to each of these! Keep reading to see what's coming next in the series and when it's coming!